Why the gridlock?

Published: Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 11:02 p.m.

As expected, a lot of debate amid the gridlock that has caused the so-called federal government shutdown has centered on who is to blame.

My initial hypothesis was this: If our democracy is really run by the people who elect the politicians, then a polarized populace has to be largely responsible.

Some evidence supports my theory, but some does not. I found a lot of data showing that Americans’ views on issues they define as important are more similar than conventional wisdom would have us believe.

If that’s the case, why the gridlock on Capitol Hill?

Some of the most thoughtful discussion I ran across appears in online essays political scientists wrote in May for the Bipartisan Policy Center. Founded in 2007 by former Democratic and Republican Senate majority leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the nonprofit think tank advocates the kind of government that, amid the current rancor, sounds almost quaint: “principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation and respectful dialogue.”

“Political elites have clearly played a major role in the rise of partisan polarization over the past several decades,” he wrote. “But the public, or at least the politically engaged segment of it, has also become much more divided over time. And the divisions within the public have reached the point where they are now constraining the actions of political elites. One cannot understand the deep partisan divide in Washington and many of our state capitols today without taking into account the deep divisions in the nation — divisions of race, culture, geography and ideology.”

Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, questions whether polls and the media might be skewing Americans’ perceptions of just how deeply partisan differences have penetrated ordinary lives.

“Many in Washington are deeply divided about politics,” she wrote. “But it is also my sense they work together at the PTA and in coaching Little League.”

David Stebenne, a professor of history and law at Ohio State University, contends divisions among Americans do run deeply and calls for major reforms of the electoral and political process.

To succeed, he said, a “national conversation” is necessary, and diverse interest groups outside Washington must lead the way.

“Some will say that sounds utopian, but outside of Washington’s political community, the interest of the citizenry in finding more common ground appears real,” he wrote.

Jeremy C. Pope, associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University, argues that polling and research shows no great ideological divide among most Americans.

“The responsibility for polarized policies ... lies with elected officials and the party leadership,” he wrote. “It is not a consequence of a polarized public crying out for extreme policies. Political compromise is not difficult because the public is divided into two polarized camps. It is difficult because leaders and partisan activists take extreme positions far beyond what most voters really want.”

Last week, Gallup released poll results that show one in three Americans, a record high, now cite dysfunctional government as the nation’s most important problem.

“Washington leaders’ continuing focus on posturing and sticking rigidly to principle while waiting for the other side to “give in” is obviously wearing thin with the American public,” Gallup’s analysis says.

I have a new hypothesis: Maybe this is the way American democracy is supposed to work.

Sure, it’s messy, but that might be expected in a nation set up to represent diverse constituencies that sometimes find themselves at extremes. We the People have a way of demanding solutions from our politicians, even after standoffs and stalemates that might have made compromise seem impossible. Maybe.

Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com.

<p>As expected, a lot of debate amid the gridlock that has caused the so-called federal government shutdown has centered on who is to blame.</p><p>My initial hypothesis was this: If our democracy is really run by the people who elect the politicians, then a polarized populace has to be largely responsible.</p><p>Some evidence supports my theory, but some does not. I found a lot of data showing that Americans' views on issues they define as important are more similar than conventional wisdom would have us believe.</p><p>If that's the case, why the gridlock on Capitol Hill?</p><p>Some of the most thoughtful discussion I ran across appears in online essays political scientists wrote in May for the Bipartisan Policy Center. Founded in 2007 by former Democratic and Republican Senate majority leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the nonprofit think tank advocates the kind of government that, amid the current rancor, sounds almost quaint: “principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation and respectful dialogue.”</p><p>Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, contends the evidence backs my initial hypothesis.</p><p>“Political elites have clearly played a major role in the rise of partisan polarization over the past several decades,” he wrote. “But the public, or at least the politically engaged segment of it, has also become much more divided over time. And the divisions within the public have reached the point where they are now constraining the actions of political elites. One cannot understand the deep partisan divide in Washington and many of our state capitols today without taking into account the deep divisions in the nation — divisions of race, culture, geography and ideology.”</p><p>Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, questions whether polls and the media might be skewing Americans' perceptions of just how deeply partisan differences have penetrated ordinary lives.</p><p>“Many in Washington are deeply divided about politics,” she wrote. “But it is also my sense they work together at the PTA and in coaching Little League.” </p><p>David Stebenne, a professor of history and law at Ohio State University, contends divisions among Americans do run deeply and calls for major reforms of the electoral and political process.</p><p>To succeed, he said, a “national conversation” is necessary, and diverse interest groups outside Washington must lead the way.</p><p>“Some will say that sounds utopian, but outside of Washington's political community, the interest of the citizenry in finding more common ground appears real,” he wrote.</p><p>Jeremy C. Pope, associate professor of political science at Brigham Young University, argues that polling and research shows no great ideological divide among most Americans.</p><p>“The responsibility for polarized policies ... lies with elected officials and the party leadership,” he wrote. “It is not a consequence of a polarized public crying out for extreme policies. Political compromise is not difficult because the public is divided into two polarized camps. It is difficult because leaders and partisan activists take extreme positions far beyond what most voters really want.”</p><p>Last week, Gallup released poll results that show one in three Americans, a record high, now cite dysfunctional government as the nation's most important problem.</p><p>“Washington leaders' continuing focus on posturing and sticking rigidly to principle while waiting for the other side to “give in” is obviously wearing thin with the American public,” Gallup's analysis says.</p><p>I have a new hypothesis: Maybe this is the way American democracy is supposed to work.</p><p>Sure, it's messy, but that might be expected in a nation set up to represent diverse constituencies that sometimes find themselves at extremes. We the People have a way of demanding solutions from our politicians, even after standoffs and stalemates that might have made compromise seem impossible. Maybe.</p><p>Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com.</p>